Centre fully committed to Tamil Nadu’s progress, infra funding tripled: PM Modi in Madurai

Chennai: The Centre is fully committed to Tamil Nadu's progress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at an election rally in Madurai on Sunday, highlighting that infrastructure funding to the state had tripled compared to the previous decade as he dismissed claims of the Centre not giving the state its due when it came to infrastructure projects.

"Tamil Nadu will play a decisive role in shaping the nation's destiny," Modi said. "Our collective goal is a developed Tamil Nadu for a developed India. The Centre remains fully committed to enabling inclusive development and the state's progress."

The budget for 2026-27 focused on Tamil Nadu, he said, citing the proposals to set up bullet train corridors between Bengaluru-Chennai and Hyderabad-Chennai.


"They will revolutionise the economy of this whole region," Modi said. "The budget (also) positions Tamil Nadu as part of the rare earth corridors that will promote advanced manufacturing, research and technology development."

Further, he said that Indian Railways had undergone a historic transformation over the past decade and that this was particularly visible in Tamil Nadu.

"The railways budget allocation has increased dramatically - ninefold since our government came in," Modi said. "More than 1,300 kilometres of new railway tracks have been laid, 97% electrification has been achieved, hundreds of flyovers and underpasses have improved safety and efficiency."

He also said that the central government had made "huge" investments over the past 12 years in Tamil Nadu's highway networks and that more than 4,000 km of highways had been built in the state since 2014. In that context, he spoke about laying the foundation stones for two highway projects on Sunday - the four-laning of Marakkanam-Puducherry section and Paramakudi-Ramanathapuram section of key national highways routes.

He also inaugurated eight redeveloped railway stations in Tamil Nadu and dedicated the Chennai Beach-Chennai Egmore 4th line to the nation. After the rally in Madurai, the PM visited the Arulmigu Subramanyaswamy temple in Tirupparankundram. His visit to Madurai marked a renewed push from the BJP to establish a toehold in Tamil Nadu. The party has tied up with the AIADMK and has been consistently slamming the ruling DMK for the lack of law and order, corruption and dynastic politics.